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The UFC will be back in action this weekend with a stacked fight night card set to go down on Saturday, September 4. The event will take place at the promotion's hometurf, the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Dubbed UFC Vegas 36, the event will be headlined by a crucial middleweight contest between top contenders Darren Till and Derek Brunson.
A heavyweight clash between Tom Aspinall and Serghei Spivac will serve as the co-main event. The card will also feature the UFC debut of charismatic new lightweight prospect Paddy 'The Baddy' Pimblett. The Englishman will be up against Brazil's Luigi Vendramini in the main card opener.
There was initially talk of UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till taking place in London, England. For that reason, the card is filled with British and European fighters. It would have marked the promotion's first event outside the United States and United Arab Emirates since the beginning of the pandemic.
However, due to ongoing restrictions, the event was forced to be moved back to the UFC homeground of Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC Fight Night: Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till
Currently ranked No.5 in the middleweight division, Derek Brunson is comfortably making his way up to title contention. His current form has seen him record four consecutive wins. In his last UFC outing, Brunson picked up a unanimous decision against Kevin Holland in a bizarre five-round clash.
The 37-year-old believes that if he manages to finish Darren Till at UFC Vegas 36, he should be next in line for a shot at the UFC middleweight title after Robert Whittaker.
"Oh yeah for sure, that’s what I’m looking at also [a potential title shot]. I’m looking to impress, look to get a finish and then yeah, definitely I can sit and wait, and after Israel [Adesanya] and [Robert] Whittaker fight, I think I should definitely be next. Four fights in a row, that’ll be five, so yeah," Derek Brunson said in a recent interview with BT Sport.
Catch Derek Brunson's interview with BT Sport below:
Darren Till, meanwhile, will be coming into the octagon off the back of a decision loss against former champion Robert Whittaker.
He was set to return to the octagon earlier this year in April against Marvin Vettori. However, he had to withdraw from the bout after breaking his collarbone in training. Shortly after, there was a brief social media exchange between 'The Gorilla' and Vettori. The Italian raised doubts regarding the legitimacy of Till's injury.
Having switched his focus to Brunson, the Liverpudlian will be looking to secure a meeting with Israel Adesanya with an impressive performance this weekend.
See here: Updated UFC Schedule
Watch Dana White's preview of UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till below:
